If you've been around Charleston long enough, you know the drill. Every February, Williman Street transforms from a quiet downtown block into a full-blown street festival — the kind where barbecue smoke hangs in the air, guitars wail from a makeshift stage, and thousands of people show up to eat, drink, and do some real good.
That's Rock the Block, and it's back for year eight.
Home Team BBQ's annual block party and fundraiser rolls out Friday, Feb. 21 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at their downtown location — and this year's lineup is stacked.
🎸 The Music
Three acts. All heat.
Sam Morrow kicks things off, followed by the Brandon Boone Band, with Georgia's own Eddie 9V closing it out as headliner. If you haven't heard Eddie 9V yet, think Southern soul meets blues meets rock meets funk — basically everything you want soundtracking a plate of pulled pork on a February afternoon.
🍖 The Food
Nine restaurants. Fresh faces and familiar favorites.
New to the lineup: David Schuttenberg of Beautiful South and Kwei Fei, plus Jake and John Haire of Heavy's Barburger. Returning heavy hitters include Anthony DiBernardo of Swig & Swine and Bob Cook of Edmund's Oast.
Home Team will be open and pouring wine, beer, and their signature cocktails — because of course they will.
❤️ The Why
Here's the part that matters most.
Rock the Block benefits Hogs for the Cause and Ronald McDonald House Charities of Charleston — both supporting families battling pediatric cancer. Last year, the event raised $100,000. This year, they're aiming higher.
That's not just a number on a check. Those dollars helped Ronald McDonald House remodel bathrooms, replace carpet, and keep improving the temporary home they provide for families with hospitalized children. As Rachel Morrison, their marketing director, told the Post & Courier: "It means the world to us to be the beneficiary of something like this. It would not be possible for us to do what we do without the Charleston community and our partners like Home Team BBQ."
And the Hogs for the Cause impact? Revenue from Rock the Block helped fund a $1 million donation toward a new hematology and oncology unit at Prisma Health Children's Hospital in Greenville — which opened last year.
That's barbecue doing serious work.
🎟️ Tickets
General Admission: $30 in advance / $35 day-of
VIP: $225 — includes all-you-can-eat from the chef lineup, plus free drinks and dessert
Grab yours at hometeambbq.com.
Home Team's Adam Rothstein told the Post & Courier he expects more than 3,000 people this year — and honestly, with a lineup like this and a cause this good, we'd bet on even more.
As Rothstein put it: "Once people know what we're doing and how they can be a part of it, it kind of sells itself."
He's not wrong.
This is a summary of an article published in the Post & Courier. Click here if you'd like to read that article.
